A Light in the Darkness
by Gaby Black
Summary: A series of drabbles. 1 for Cuba: He takes her hand and follows her as she shines a light in the darkness. 2 for Lola: Remus is staring at the empty chairs - empty chairs at empty tables, where his friends will meet no more.
1. A light in the darkness

**A Remus/Tonks drabble written for Cuba. Prompt was: a light in the darkness. Since I'm feeling ridiculously poetic these days, every end of paragraphs rhyme.**

**It's been ages since I wrote Remus/Tonks, but I hope you like it anyway.**

**Enjoy - review. **

* * *

_a light in the darkness_

He stumbles in the dark tunnel, more alone than he used to be; the pain is unbearable. His pack is gone, and though the wolf doesn't remember why, it still feels the loneliness.

He has his habits; tea, chocolate, a good book, a walk outside (when he feels fit for it) – nothing ever comes to disrupt his routine. He lives like an old man now, almost like a hermit, and everyday his soul aches with what-ifs and what-could-have-beens.

Sometimes he takes out the old photographs and allows himself to reminisce until late at night. Sometimes he laughs; sometimes he doesn't, but he rarely cries. It's been so long now, even his tears are rusty.

He is positive that the best moments of his life are behind him. He lives a quiet life in black and white, so different than his previous one, and he pretends he doesn't mind, that the sky isn't cloudy, that if he closes his eyes he can see James, Lily and Peter, and that he should be grateful to be alive (when he's not, he hates himself). He can no longer have faith in anyone, not after this betrayal, this friend he thought most trusty.

He lives in darkness until that day when his old friend knocks on the door of his life again; and maybe, just maybe, every cloud has a silver lining, even Remus Lupin's. His own silver lining is so colourful that she's more like a blinding rainbow. She almost makes him believe that there can be a fairy tale where the knight in shining armour is a werewolf; he almost believes her when she says love always wins.

He is no longer alone in the tunnel; the pain is less excruciating, and his tread is more confident. He takes her hand and follows her as she shines a light in the darkness.


	2. Empty chairs at empty tables

**This one was written around the line taken from Les Miserables: "empty chairs at empty tables". The whole song's lyrics inspired me, actually. This takes place, obviously, some time after Frank and Alice are dead.**

* * *

_To Lola, even though this is not exactly what she requested._

* * *

Remus is staring at the empty chairs.

The table is deserted, and looks nothing like it used to – no bright colours from Marlene's robes and Lily's hair, no white-teeth smiles from Caradoc, no twinkling grey eyes.

Phantom faces near the window – he can see them smile, yet he can see them cry. Some of them are blurry: Marlene, the first to depart, Benjy and Dorcas following her by mere months – he can barely remember their features anymore. Others are achingly fresh in his memory: he can remember every different smile James has, the dimple on Lily's right cheek, and the way Peter eyes bright up when they're together. He can't even bring himself to speak of them in the past tense; not yet.

The table's scent is woody, and smells nothing like it used to – no trace of Dorcas's perfume, no remainders of Alice's cooking, or of Edgar's coffee.

The table is silent, and sounds nothing like it used to – no loud laughters from Gideon, no jokes from James, no greetings from Frank.

The table is dead.

Phantom shadows sitting around the table, at their usual places – Marlene between the Prewett twins, Peter facing James and Lily, Sirius playing mock Muggle fights with Caradoc. He can hear their voices.

But he phantom voices aren't joking or singing or even crying; they are asking what their sacrifice was for.

Remus is staring at the empty chairs - empty chairs at empty tables, where his friends will meet no more.


	3. Never in a million years

**Never in a million years**

_To Katy_

* * *

Fred gets dumped by his first girlfriend near the end of second year. Because Fred laughs about it, George laughs, too, though he has been a tad disgruntled that Fred has got a girlfriend and he has not.

"She said I spent too much time with you and our friends," Fred rolls his eyes. "And we'd been together for what? Two weeks?"

"Sixteen days," George replies.

He wonders why he even bothered to count in the first place. Fred shakes his head, looking thoughtful.

"Let me tell you something, George. Girls don't know what they're missing. We don't need really them, as long as we have each other, right?"

"Exactly," George nods.

There is an unusual, short silence, during which George wonders when was the last time they were so serious. He's glad he can't remember.

"Relationships are overrated. I'm never going to fall in love," George announces.

"Oh, me neither," Fred says. "Never in a million years."

"But we can still have some fun," George says.

Fred smiles back and gives him a high five.

"Of course. We can always have some fun."

George stands up, looking purposeful.

"Time for _me_ to get a girlfriend, then. Where's Angelina?"


	4. The day Remus Lupin rules the world

**This was inspired by the quote on Bad Mum's icon: "when Remus J Lupin rules the world, all problems will be solved with chocolate.") Prompt for this one was: jumping.**

* * *

_To Kore_

* * *

**The Day Remus Lupin Rules The World**

"What do you call that, again?" James asks in awe.

"A jumping jack," Remus repeats for the fourth time that day. "It's a kind of Muggle firework."

They're lying on the ground, the four of them, staring up at the night sky, illuminated in orange and red and gold shades by the jumping jack Remus made them buy this afternoon in Diagon Alley.

"Those colours…" James whispers. "They remind me of Lily."

There is a snort, and Remus doesn't need to turn his head to know that it comes from Sirius.

"I was wondering when you would bring up Lily _again_," Sirius said. "The last time was five minutes ago. I'm impressed, mate. You definitely improved over the summer."

This time, Remus turns his head, grinning, to see James hit Sirius's shoulder.

"He acts tough, but he doesn't hit half as hard as he likes to think," Sirius whispers in Remus's ear.

Sirius is smiling, too, and the whole world is spinning above them, and Remus thinks he might have had a little bit too much of Firewhiskey. For quite a long while, there is just a comfortable silence between them and the deafening sounds of the sky above.

"Sometimes I'm glad one of us isn't a Pureblood," James suddenly says. "Otherwise we wouldn't have known about that Muggle wonder."

Remus rolls his eyes. "Way to make me feel integrated, Prongs."

"Pureblood wanker," Sirius says.

As often, no one knows if he's joking or not – not when it's too dark for them to see if his eyes belie his words.

"Want some more chocolate, Moony?" Peter calls from the other side of their human chain, at James's right.

Remus waves at him from Sirius's left, smiling broadly, and Peter throws a bar of Honeykudes' finest Remus's way.

"Why do you even ask, Pete?" Sirius laughs.

Remus doesn't know if it's because of the Firewhiskey, but it seems to him that chocolate has never tasted better. The fireworks are fading away into the night; soon they will get back inside James's house.

"The day when I rule the world, all problems will be solved by chocolate," Remus says.

"The day when you rule the world, I want chocolate to make Lily go out with me," James retorts.

"Prongs, even _chocolate_ couldn't make Lily go out with you," Remus says, laughing. "You're a hopeless case, that's different."

There are no longer sounds from the fireworks now and Remus briefly wonders if he really upset James.

"I think you killed him, Moony," Sirius snorts.

"One day, my dear idiots, _one day_, you will understand what it's like to love someone," James says with as much dignity as he can muster.

One day, much later, Remus understands.


	5. Everything in the world

**First time writing Ginny, as she is a character I strongly dislike... But it was refreshing to write something else! Please review.**

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_To Katy_

* * *

**_Everything_** _**in the world**_

"I know 'ow you call mee be'ind my back," Fleur says.

Fleur has somehow managed to be in a room alone with Ginny, something which, in the Burrow, is almost impossible. Ginny looks right into Fleur's eyes, unabashed, even inwardly smiling at the thought of the Phlegm nickname.

"So what?" Ginny says.

Fleur smiles slightly. To Ginny's surprise, she doesn't look angry or even annoyed: she just looks sad.

"I weesh we could be friends, Ginny," Fleur says. "Don't you theenk you could try that? For Bill?"

Ginny sighs; they both know how much she loves her eldest brother and that, deep inside, Fleur is right. Ginny should make efforts.

"I want to… but you're…"

Ginny trails off and shrugs, embarrassed. Now that she's facing Fleur, it's not so easy to tell her exactly what she doesn't like about her.

"Eef I looked common or even ugly, would you like me?" Fleur asks calmly.

This time, Ginny looks down, her face turning as red as her hair.

"It's not like that," Ginny protests.

"I never asked for beauty, Ginny," Fleur says. "It might seem 'ard to understand, but sometimes eet's too 'ard to bear. Beauty ees not everything een the world, Ginny. Sometimes…"

Fleur stops talking and, as Ginny looks up at her, she is bewildered to see what strongly resembles shyness in Fleur's blue eyes.

"Yes?" Ginny asks.

"Sometimes I weesh I looked like you," Fleur confesses unexpectedly. "You are very pretty and yet not enough for eet to be a problem. People take you seriously; they don't weeth me."

Fleur walks past her on her way out; Ginny stands frozen in the doorway, thinking this is probably the strangest compliment anyone has ever made her. She can't believe Fleur could wish to be like her; she has always thought the girl was extremely conceited.

"Sometimes I weesh I were ugly," Fleur whispers, and then leaves.

It takes time, but one day Ginny understands exactly just what Fleur meant, and she knows Fleur was sincere. She doesn't leave Bill, and it means everything in the world to Ginny.


	6. Power

Gellert has so much _power._

Gellert controls Albus's lips. He makes them smile just by entering the room or by saying he is the best friend he's ever had.

Gellert controls Albus's eyes. They get a blue twinkle every time Gellert laughs or tells a joke.

Gellert controls Albus's words. They are mightier and greater and also more evil after each late night talk they share. The voice is deeper, the tone more confident.

Gellert controls Albus's hands. They get trembling and sweaty when Gellert brushes Albus on his way out.

It scares Albus, sometimes, when he's alone and there isn't Gellert around to fool him, to influence him, to control him like a mere puppet, because it's never happened to him before. Albus tells himself it must stop, that he should be able to think by himself and that he'll tell Gellert just that – but when Gellert visits him on the next day, and Albus is smiles and twinkles and sweaty hands all over again.

Gellert has Albus in his power: he controls Albus's heart.


	7. Dancing under the rain

_To Cuba_

* * *

_..dancing under the rain.._

Mum and Dad are dead.

The rain is falling harder with every minute, and yet here I stand, looking up at the sky as if transfixed, in the hope to see what? To see them?

They had a stupid car accident – spooky how easily I forgot they were "after all, only Muggles," as Remus put it.

The rain is cool on my skin, but I'm too far away to be cold.

No more talks with Mum, no more laughs with Dad. No more dancing under the rain with Petunia until Mum calls us, saying we are crazy. No more cakes and hugs and unconditional support.

I really should get back inside the castle, but I won't. I simply can't face the truth, for the first time in my life.

I will never see their proud smiles again.

I'm dancing under the rain in the vain hope it will wash my pain away.


	8. A love that will never grow old

_To Lola_

* * *

**a love that will never grow old**

"I'm right."

Peter Pettigrew is talking to pictures; it might be the beginning of the end, but at least he's still alive.

He just told the Dark Lord where James and Lily were. He just breathed "Godric's Hollow", and the Dark Lord laughed cruelly, chilling Peter's every bones.

It's Halloween today, Peter remembers.

"You _know_ I am," Peter says to the pictures he just removed from the walls of his bedroom (he won't be able to look at them anymore now). "What would you have done if you were me? I want to live. I'm making the right decision - it can't be wrong..."

Peter's self justifications sound hollow to his own ears, but at least he's still alive.

Peter looks at Sirius giving James a high five while Remus watches them, smiling - they are in their second year, and it's the earliest picture Peter has. Peter was the one taking it; he's not included. He throws it.

Peter looks at the picture of James and Lily at their wedding, holding hands and staring into each other's eyes as if no one else in the world exists - and it's true. There's only James and Lily, only the heroes, and there's no place for someone like Peter in this world.

But all this is about to change. Peter tears the picture apart; not with anger or regret, simply with jealousy. Well _at least_, Peter thinks, they will be together forever, and he laughs like a maniac, and he almost sounds like Lord Voldemort. He wants to be sick.

"I'm sorry," Peter says suddenly to the tattered bits of the photograph as he catches a glimpse of James's happy smile. "I have no choice."

Because, of course, Peter has always been jealous of their love. It's an unconditional feeling (no _what if he is the spy_?, no _would I be ready to die for her_?), no questions, only answers: a love Peter - no, _everybody_ - wishes he can find some day. A love that will never grow old.


	9. Moving

**This refers to my latest oneshot, No Questions, but you can read it anyway! Please review.**

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_To Lola_

They were wandering the Malfoys' Manor, and they put everything they wanted in magically enlarged bags; Lucius and Narcissa weren't there. Draco had told them to go, otherwise they wouldn't have let him take anything. He could almost hear Mother asking, _"Are you sure you want to move, Draco?"_ and Father complaining, _"You can't take that chest, it's mine."_

Astoria was currently standing next to the long wooden table of the living room, touching it lightly with her hand. There was another table for the occasional buffets, but at the moment it was only hosting flowers – the bouquet of lilies that Astoria had brought for Narcissa.

"What are you doing?" Draco asked, his voice gently mocking her. "We can't take that table, you know."

Astoria turned to him and rolled her eyes, but said nothing. She looked thoughtful.

"What are you looking at, anyway?" Draco asked, intrigued. "It's just empty chairs and empty tables."

"I'm just imagining you sitting here as a little boy," Astoria said.

Draco remained silent. His face closed, and she noticed it at once.

"I bet dinners were quite silent," Astoria said softly.

"Quite."

Astoria nodded and Draco hoped not to see pity in her eyes. She turned her back to him and shrugged.

"Your mother doesn't like me," Astoria said.

Draco was taken aback.

"That's not true," Draco said.

Astoria turned.

"Okay," Draco sighed. "She's not… she just doesn't like the idea of me moving, I guess. She must think nobody will ever be good enough for me."

"And that's what _you_ used to think back in your Hogwarts days," Astoria said teasingly.

_That's what I thought until I met you_, Draco corrected in his mind.

"So, now that we're going to live together… are you planning on making me a Malfoy some day? The whole situation is becoming indecent, really, two respectable, pureblood people living together unmarried."

Draco's cheeks coloured slightly under her gaze.

"Aren't I the one that's supposed to ask you?"

Astoria smiled. "You know I never do like everybody else."

Draco walked towards her and took her hands in his. He scrutinized her sea-like eyes.

"Do you really want to be a Malfoy?"

Astoria shook her head, faking shock. "Now, now, Draco, who _wouldn't_?"

Draco smiled. "If you wanted to imitate my father, you lack the cane."

"Well, it's true that you barely have any money anymore… do you think I should think about it?"

Draco kissed her passionately, running a hand through her long, light brown hair.

"I don't believe you," Draco whispered in her ear. "But I'll marry you anyway."


	10. Promise

It's the first day of April, and they've been twenty for exactly thirteen minutes, according to their old alarm clock. George can hear Fred's slow breathing, but he also knows he's not asleep. Somewhere, outside, a stray dog is howling; George could almost laugh at the omen, because this is what the twins do: they laugh life off.

"Fred?"

Fred mutters curses. George smiles.

"I'm trying to sleep, you idiot! What do you want?"

George knows Fred is just a bit grumpy because they haven't get much sleep for months, not when their little brother and sister are in mortal danger, something which has somehow become their everyday.

"I want you to promise me something," George whispers.

Suddenly, he feels stupid asking this. But he doesn't know what he'd do if Fred left him - if Fred played hero or whatever and _died_, so he asks anyway.

"You're not going to do... something foolish. Promise me."

They both know that what he really means is, _promise me you won't leave me. _They also know why George doesn't want to say it.

"I promise."

Fred's voice is hoarse and hesitant.

"I promise I won't leave you, not in a million years."

George nods in the dark and buries his head in his pillow, pondering the meaning of promises, and how empty they can be.

George finds that a million years really lasts two months.


	11. The Greater Good

To Diko

* * *

**The Greater Good**

Minerva McGonagall writes today's date on the parchment of her Transfiguration essay, in her neat handwriting. May 1st, 1942.

Minerva is seventeen years old today.

She imagines Professor Dumbledore's pleased expression as he reads her essay on the potential dangerous effects of human Transfiguration. It might be a little too moral to his taste – but Minerva is growing up during a war, and morals are her only defence against the dark magic of Gellert Grindelwald.

She is sitting in the middle of Gryffindor's common room, surrounded by the gifts her housemates offered her – books, sweets, and an adorable kitten. For one hour she writes diligently – no one disturbs her, they know her and respect her need of peace. But peace is brutally shattered when the Head of House comes in and announces that Grindelwald has brought more political opponents to Nurmengard, the jail where they let people starve all for the greater good. Among them is Minerva's father.

The world twirls around her, and for the first time in her life, words fail her, she's silent and tearful and more fragile than she ever thought.

She wonders what kind of good is greater than her dad smiling at her.

She doesn't understand why Professor Dumbledore avoids her eyes for months afterwards.

She doesn't attend to the Quidditch match on the next day, for the first time since she entered Hogwarts. And Gryffindor wins… but does it really matter?


End file.
